


Transliteration 7 - Taking the Air

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-09-21
Updated: 2007-09-21
Packaged: 2019-02-02 02:45:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12718056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: Jack and Daniel enjoy the great outdoors - sorta.





	Transliteration 7 - Taking the Air

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Set in Season 7 where Janet is ALIVE, thank you very much. 7th in the series, after Snatching Crumbs. Thanks to Whisper and Mare for the beta.

"Wow!" Samantha Carter was clearly impressed. The garage door was rolled all the way up, letting in plenty of light for viewing the new acquisition. 

"Yep," Jack said proudly, "it's something isn't it?" 

"Are those alloy wheels?" She ran her hand over the frame unable to resist touching. 

"That they are. Sixteen inch alloy wheels WITH suspension. Fully convertible so inclement weather won't be a problem. It'll run on or off road, too." 

She nodded distractedly as she examined the machine. "Is this the console that came with it or an upgrade?" 

"Upgrade. It even has a speedometer and odometer." He knew he sounded smug but he couldn't help it. Carter was mesmerized by the thing. Any minute now she'd start drooling.

"Sir, do you mind if I ask -" 

"Over four big ones." He said it casually, but he knew the reaction it would get. 

Carter's eyebrows popped up and she blinked a couple of times. "Wow." 

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, you know the old saying. There's a lot riding on these wheels." It was extravagant but he didn't care. He wasn't trusting his kid to anything less than the best. 

Carter looked at the instructions again, and picked up a screw driver. "It's a great stroller, sir."

"I'll say." Pete Shanahan leaned against the doorway into the house. "I think I spent less than that on my first car." 

"So did I," grinned Jack. 

The two men shared stories of the old junkers that they first drove while Carter finished assembling the jogging stroller. Every so often Pete would peek inside the house and nod at Jack, letting him know that Daniel was still playing in the living room. Within minutes, Carter had the console fitted in place then put the tools away.

"That's it, sir. All done." 

"Thanks, Carter. I got all the big pieces together with no problem, but the directions for attaching the extras didn't make sense. It would have taken me twice as long and a whole lot of cuss words to get that together." 

"No problem sir.” She eyed the stroller. “It looks like it has plenty of growing room. It should last you a long time.” 

Pete chimed in, “Well, that’s assuming Daniel doesn’t…you know…pull another Alice in Wonderland and get really big all of a sudden. He hasn’t done it again, right?” He peered into the house as if he might catch Daniel in the act of enlarging. 

Jack shook his head. “Nope. No new growth spurts. It’s only been a couple of days, though.” 

There hadn’t been any more episodes of Daniel talking about things from his adult life, either, for which Jack was heartily grateful. The out of focus eyes and dreamy voice as Daniel had spoken of Shifu had given him chills. Doctor Fraiser was the only person he had told about the incident and that was only because it might affect Daniel’s health. 

Jack’s greatest fear was that the NID would never lose their interest in Daniel and try to snatch him away. They already wanted to study him both as a former ascended being and because of his recent age reversal. If they knew that all of Daniel’s knowledge was still in that little head, the NID would be even more eager to get their hands on him. The thought of Daniel living out his life imprisoned and used as a lab rat horrified him. If he had to walk away from the SGC to keep Daniel safe, he would. It would be harder to disappear with a child in tow, but he had already worked out some contingency plans. 

Distracted by his thoughts, Jack missed a comment from Pete. “I’m sorry?” 

“We need to get going if we want to get to the restaurant while breakfast is still being served.” 

“Oh, right.” Jack nodded. “Thanks again for stopping by.” 

Carter picked her purse up off the floor. “Are you sure you don't want to come to brunch with us?" It seemed odd to see her with a purse instead of a backpack. Of course, with SG-1 on temporary stand-down since Daniel's...accident, he hadn't seen her with a pack at all. 

He shook his head. "Nah. I'm looking forward to taking this jalopy out for a spin." 

It wasn't often that SG-1 or Detective Shanahan had a day off during the week. It was even rarer when those days coincided. There was no way he was going to intrude on their private time. After they said their goodbyes, Jack checked on Daniel, changed into his running clothes, checked on Daniel again, then brought supplies into the garage. 

"Whath are 'oo doin'?" 

Jack looked down at the inquisitive boy behind him. "Take your binky out when you want to talk to someone." He didn't mind Daniel using a pacifier, but he didn't want it to interfere with pronunciation or good manners. 

Daniel obliged, holding the binky a few inches from his mouth, ready for rapid re-insertion. He repeated his question and replaced the binky. 

Jack adjusted the special stroller. "Remember what we talked about yesterday?" He stowed the diaper supplies, animal crackers, and two bottles of water - a regular one for him and one with a nipple for the toddler – in the special compartments on the stroller. 

"Ummmmm..." The boy thought for a moment. This time he pulled his binky out without being told. "Don't flush toys down the potty?" 

Jack kept the amusement from his face. He was glad that particular lecture had sunk in. Hopefully it meant that he wouldn't have to spend another evening digging a plastic truck out of the commode. "Well, yes, but I also said we could go for a run this morning." 

He could see Daniel thinking it over very carefully, little brows scrunched down. "Can I come too?" 

"Sure you can. That's what this is for." He patted the bright red jogging stroller. "You get to sit here and I'll push you while I run." 

Eyes still on the shiny new stroller, Daniel asked, "Can I push it?" 

"Well, you can push it while it's empty." Funny how kids always wanted to push their own strollers at some point. Charlie had been just the same. 

"You sit and I push you." Earnest blue eyes implored him. 

That was something else Charlie and Daniel had in common. Charlie used to give him that same look and it was just as hard to resist then. Sometimes when he looked at Daniel it was hard not to see his dead son. He blocked that thought and concentrated on the child in front of him. 

"I'm too big for it, Daniel. Only a special little guy like you gets to sit here." He patted the seat enticingly. 

Daniel looked disappointed. "But I want to push you." Little hands clasped together, then reached for the handle. Even on tiptoe, Daniel's fingertips barely brushed the handle. 

He knelt beside the toddler. "You can push it while it's empty if you want to, but that's all." He put one hand on Daniel's back and pointed to the stroller with the other. "Look at how big the stroller is." He could see Daniel's eyes wandering over the contraption. He stood up. "Now, look at how big I am." 

Blue eyes flicked back and forth between him and the stroller. His heart clenched at the assessing look thrown his way. That look was pure Daniel. Whether he was an adult trying to decipher a puzzling bit of text or a toddler trying to grasp the concept of relative sizes, he had that same intent focus. You could practically see his mind working. The binky bobbed up and down as the boy sucked on it. Jack had learned to use the binky as a mood indicator. The harder Daniel thought, the faster it moved. Looked as though Daniel was thinking very hard indeed right now. Adult Daniel still liked to bite his pencils. Jack guessed it was a habit that he'd never quite out grown. 

"Okay," declared Daniel, "I sit and you push. Can we go now?" 

Jack smiled and ruffled his hair. "We sure can." 

He held the stroller in place with one hand, helping Daniel climb in with the other. The next few minutes were spent adjusting straps, with Daniel asking questions all the while. The minute Jack had seen the stroller advertised he had wanted one - not just because it was way cool, but because it seemed to provide a good compromise between child care and exercise. While he and his team weren't going through the gate for now, that was no reason to get out of shape. 

After making sure his keys were in his pocket and the front door was locked, Jack pulled the garage door down and pushed the stroller to the sidewalk. Turning right, he walked briskly until his muscles were warmed up. He increased his speed slowly, wanting to get a feel for how this thing handled before he went too fast. He was pleased to find it as advertised. Soon he had a steady rhythm going as he ran his usual route through the neighborhood. 

It was mid-morning on a weekday so most people were at work. Except for the rare vehicle driving by or a bit of birdsong, the muffled thump of his sneakered feet was the loudest sound in the area. The lack of activity made it easier to scan for surveillance units. After a time, he thought he heard something else, but it was faint. Whatever it was seemed to be following them, because the volume never changed. Slipping into a milder version of his stealth mode, he slowed his pace, ran quietly and listened. Hmmmmmm...that was coming from...He looked down into the stroller. With the canopy all the way back he had a perfect view of the occupant. 

Knees together, leaning into the wind of their movement, Daniel had tipped his head back and thrown his arms out wide. Adjusting his stride, Jack shifted to the side of the stroller so he could get a better look at the child's face. His eyes were closed. A big grin showed around his binky. Dr. Daniel Jackson, triple PhD and former adult, was softly saying "Wheeeeeeeee!" 

Jack stifled a laugh and dropped back into place behind the stroller. He reached the driveway to his house, but didn't turn in. With a grin to match the boy's, he ran an extra lap around the block, just for the simple pleasure of listening to Daniel enjoy the ride. 

Finis


End file.
